


Loser

by MinnieLaceHaz



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angry Kissing, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dare, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff, Hate to Love, Hospitals, Jock Calum, Love/Hate, M/M, Nerd Ashton, idiot calum
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-17
Updated: 2015-10-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 17:16:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5013199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MinnieLaceHaz/pseuds/MinnieLaceHaz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Watch where you're going, loser."</p><p>"Nice insult, neanderthal."</p><p>The typical lovestory of a Nerd and a Jock, but with a small twist when they're forced by their friends - Michael and Luke- to try dating for a month and see if they're really hate each other or hate how much they love one another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Life is about choices. Every choice you make is one that will stick with you through the rest of the day. The rest of the week, the rest of your life and no one can tell whether the choice is a good or a bad thing. Whether it's choosing what to eat for breakfast, what friends you make or if you like or dislike a person.

For instance, Calum has hated Ashton for a while now. People know the two aren't fond of each other and it's easy to notice just by seeing the way they stare at each other with these glares. It wasn't that they hate each other, but more that if one of them died the other would probably throw a party.

So, okay, maybe they do hate each other which is weird since they're both the nicest people anyone can meet. Calum happened to be a star soccer player, having this cheeky yet likeable personality and great sense of humor. He loved everyone, but not Ashton and no one knew why.

Maybe it's because Ashton isn't the best person ever to Calum. Some may say he's jealous, but he's really not. Calum doesn't get jealous easily, he would admire a person for who they are and what they can do. Ashton is considered a nerd, but not the superhero loving, straight A's, smartass. 

He enjoyed reading, was an honor student, and had this instant knowing of what a person thinks about him. So yeah, he knew Calum hated him and as far as Calum knew, Ashton didn't like him much either. Which was fine with both of them since they had an understanding now.

The only thing that sucks is both happen to be in four classes together which was half of their day. Teachers were aware of how antsy they get around each other, so at least they were separated and barely every stood near each other.

But strangely, they always stare at one another. It may be with scowls on their faces, but they still stare and no one understood why they did this if the hate each other. It's as if they don't like one another, but they still want to have the other's attention.

Which could be the reason why Calum was running around the soccer field with the soccer ball dribbling between his feet and he could see Ashton sitting on the bleachers without his uniform on. He wore a grey jacket, glasses and had a book in his hand. The coach liked him, so even though Ashton didn't participate in gym, he was allowed to read.

Favoritism much? Calum scoffed, smirking a bit when he was getting gathered by the other team to steal the ball. Calum quickly kicked the ball, knowing it was going to hit Ashton. He bursted out laughing, seeing Ashton nearly fall off the bleachers and the book fell from his hands.

"Calum, watch where you're kicking!" Coach shouted, blowing his whistle.

An innocent smile fell on his face and he shrugged,"Oops, sorry. It was an accident."

Calum snickered when the coach shook his head and walked away. Ashton instantly caught his eye and glared him. His nose was bleeding and he gripped it quickly while Calum watched in amusement. Ashton struggled but picked up the ball with his free hand and made his way down he bleachers, hand still gripping his nose to stop it from bleeding.

He roughly shoved it to Calum's chest and the taller boy tried not to show his pain when it pressed harder than he thought. He rolled his eyes, hearing Ashton mumble something about losing the page he was reading and how he had to try to find it and that Calum was a dickhead.

Hearing this, Calum shouted,"Sorry, not my fault you can't catch a ball! Strange, since you like sucking them."

"Whatever, like you're any straighter," Ashton grabbed his book and thanked Michael who handed him a tissue before rushing off to where Luke and him were acting like they were playing volleyball when they were really chatting about the new video game coming out.

The red-haired boy was probably the only person who actually talks to Ashton aside from Luke. Not that Ashton was bullied, but because he insists the school is full of neanderthals and doesn't want to associate with them. It's his own fault, not having friends, since he doesn't try talking to anyone who doesn't dye their hair or have a piercing.

Calum shrugged carelessly, tossing the ball to a teammate and said to Ashton with a raised eyebrow,"That may be true, but at least I can get a guy in bed."

Ashton stiffened at the look in Calum's eyes and Calum pouted,"Aw, did I hurt your feelings?"

Ashton simply flicked him off, going back to his book that had dirt stains from where it fell on the ground along with some grass stuck in the pages. Calum snorted, not getting why people like reading so much. The words were boring, he would rather take two hours to watch a move rather than days to finish a book.

No, Calum isn't a dumb, idiotic jock who spends his time partying and sleeping around. He has slept with maybe three people, and he keeps it to himself and said person. He's not the smartest person, but he's decent with school. He has B's and very few grades beneath that. But, he doesn't like reading and never has because he'd rather have an image already in his head than having to imagine one.

Plus, he could never finish a book. Whether it was on audible or the teacher speaking out loud, he couldn't find himself enjoying a story. He thought maybe he just couldn't keep himself concentrated and told his mum, but when they got him checked he wasn't ADHD or had any disorders to explain this. So it was simple. Reading just isn't his thing and never will be.

He sighed, seeing Luke giving him a glare from across the field and knew the blonde was mad at him. He ignored Luke, who rolled his eyes and went back to talking to Michael. The problem is, Michael and Luke are friends, Calum and Luke are friends, but Michael and Ashton are friends. Making Luke friends with Ashton, therefor they all hang out sometimes and it can cause problems since Calum and Ashton are appalled of each other.

It doesn't help that they all sit together at lunch. He doesn't get it, since the boys know about Ashton and Calum's hatred. Usually people would try not to let others be around one another when it can cause problems, but the two boys obviously like seeing drama and starting stuff.

Calum and Luke only recently became friends, same with Michael and Ashton. Michael just moved to their school a year ago and Luke and Calum met three years ago and only started becoming best friends two. When Michael transferred schools, him and Ashton apparently clicked instantly but he started becoming friends with Luke.

It's not like Calum hates Michael, but he hates Ashton. With that in mind, it's hard for him to even look at Michael without wanting to punch him. As far as Calum can tell, Michael is a nice guy. But he hates how Ashton instantly joins them whenever they go somewhere because Michael does and well, friends stick together apparently.

Suddenly the whistle blew, signaling gym was over and Calum raced his teammates from the game they were playing to the locker room. He won, fist bumping a few guys and changed. He changed, glancing in the corner of the room where he knew Ashton would be. Like usual, he had his nose stuffed in his book and reading intently. His nose wasn't hurt from where the soccer ball hit him, strangely, but there was a small bruise that was barely noticeable.

Once he was changed, Calum tossed his gym clothes in his locker and sprayed some axe on. It's not allowed to spray anything, but he didn't care since everyone wears spray deodorant. On his way out, he rushed to Luke and said with a grin,"Ready for practice today? Coach seems pissed, I think he may overwork us."

"And you're happy about that?" Luke said with a grimace, not the best at soccer but he plays so he can hang out with Calum some more. When they met, Calum insisted he joined with him.

Calum shrugged, stopping at his locker to grab his cleats he left and shut the locker behind him. It was the end of the day so they headed back towards the locker room for practice. "Yeah, I mean, that gives me a chance to see Zack all sweaty and - fuck, he's so hot."

"Get over this crush, man. He's straight," Luke chuckled in amusement. 

Zack was Calum's long-gone crush that will never happen but he loves to stare at him. And if he had a chance, he would definitely suck him off. Sadly, Zack is - like Luke said - very straight. Still, Calum is very in denial about this and tries proving him wrong.

A pout formed on his lips,"No, he's gay. He just doesn't know it yet. I can help him, though. Like, maybe if I licked his abs then he'd realize this."

"Gross," Luke scrunched his nose in disgust. "I'm telling you, he's as straight as a pole."

"Poles can be bent with a little heat," Calum winked, biting his lip sexually.

Before Luke could retort against the sexual remark, Calum stumbled forward as a weight slammed into him. He fell to the ground, seeing Ashton gaping at him with a blush on his cheeks and horrified expression. Calum glanced at the book Ashton was too busy reading (the reason why he must have ran into Calum) and glared at him.

Ashton stuttered out,"I - I'm so sorry, I didn't see you -"

"Cause you're too busy reading your dumb books! What where you're going, loser," Calum scoffed, lifting the book and shoving it into Ashton's book. Much like Ashton once did with the soccer ball, earlier.

An amused expression took place with the horrified one,"Nice insult, neanderthal."

"What the fuck did you just call me?" Calum narrowed his eyes, ignoring Luke's warning expression. As much as he's use to being insulted, he really hates being called that. He doesn't know why, but it's something about that word that makes him cringe and want to punch someone.

Ashton raised an eyebrow and said with a smirk,"A Neanderthal. An idiotic human who spends their time hurling abuse in the street because that's all they can do. Their language revolves around the word "fuck", and they insult people who are smarter than them through jealousy and envy."

Before Calum could say anything, Ashton added,"You say fuck more than you say 'and'. You insult me, because I'm smarter than you. You envy me, Calum. Cause compared to me, you're an idiot, stupid, and spend more time joking around than paying attention in class. Face it, you're just angry because I will get somewhere in life while you party with your jocky friends that get wasted every Friday night instead of studying."

Just like that, Calum was shoving Ashton against the locker, knocking the wind out of the boy. Ashton instantly regretted everything, trying to get out of the boy's grip. But when he pushed him off, Calum knocked him on the ground, the two wrestling around until Calum had Ashton pinned down.

When he went to punch the boy, hands were pulling them apart and Luke had Calum tugged off Ashton while Michael lifted the boy. Ashton's vision was blury, his glasses broken on the ground and Calum just scowled at him. Michael hesitantly grabbed the glasses and Ashton just tossed them in the trash. 

Well, he tried but missed.

The coach was there, the one who helped Luke and Michael, and said with a stern expression,"Next time you two get in a fight, it'll be detention. No questions or complaints. I am sick and tired of the two of you fighting. If it starts up again, we may need to start giving out suspensions. Either fix your problems or ignore each other. Now Calum, get yourself to practice and Ashton go home."

"But-"

"No buts. Practice. Now. Unless you want off the team," The man snapped, making his way through the crowd and people that randomly gathered were disappearing.

A small silence fell, Luke patted Calum's back as he roughly ripped his arm from the blonde's grip. Calum grabbed his bag, giving Ashton a hateful expression as he walked passed him. Ashton just rolled his eyes, blindly finding his bag and Michael helped him get his extra pair of glasses out.

When Michael went to speak, Ashton just sighed and walked away. Calum was watching from where he stood and he noticed Michael and Luke giving each other knowing looks. But he ignored it, shaking his head and going to practice with an annoyed look on his face.

As he arrived to the locker room, he saw his teammates and they all cheered for him as if him getting in a fight was the most amazing thing ever. He just gave them a little cocky grin, blushing slightly when Zack high-fived him shirtless. He avoided staring at his glistening abs and just smiled quickly before changing.

However, Luke soon entered the locker room and gave Calum a look of disbelief,"What the hell was that? You really need to cool it with Ashton. He didn't mean to run into you."

"He insulted me," Calum shrugged.

Luke hesitated,"Well yeah, but you started it. He apologized and you honestly insulted him first. I'm not saying what he did was right, but you're just at fault here as he is."

"Whatever, of course you're defending him. Some friend you are," Calum scoffed, tugging on his shirt and shoved passed Luke as the team 'ooh'ed like year five students. 

He ignored Luke's guilty expression, rushing to the field where a few people were running the track to get warmed up. Coach gave him a knowing look and Calum just nodded, as if saying he won't start anymore fights. He knew Luke was right, that he did throw the first insult, but it didn't make Ashton's words hurt any less.

For some reason, whenever Ashton insults him it just hits home. He didn't want his words to mean so much to him, but they do and he hates that. Because he hates Ashton, so why does he care about what he says? They always insult each other and yet he gets so hurt by what he says.

Calum sighed, stretching for a minute before jogging the track. He spotted Ashton and Michael walking down the road far away behind the fence, they were laughing and joking around. Calum scoffed, shaking his head and ignored him like always. Because he hates Ashton. He always has and he always will.


	2. Chapter 2

His car was nice, you could say. He had a black cobra mustang and no he isn't spoiled. He actually saved up for this himself and worked very hard to do so. Of course, his parents chipped in to finish off paying it and it was more of a seventeenth birthday present since they added over a thousand dollars to help.

After getting the car, he didn't continue working because he wanted to focus on school and soccer. People were jealous of his car and he always made sure it was clean and shiny and filled with gas. He's not like those guys who name his car, but he likes having it look nice. Almost to show off how hard he worked for it.

When he did get his car (five months ago) Luke was there with him and helped pick it out. The cobra was calling his name and they took it on a test drive. After making sure he enjoyed how it ran and checked it out with his parents, they agreed and now he has the coolest car in school.

They go to a public school in Sydney, very well enjoying it since that means no uniforms. It was great since not many people have cars in his school and he's pretty popular. Now, unlike a lot of popular people on TV, he's not a bitch. He's actually quite nice and sometimes flirty, but that's it.

However, when it comes to Ashton you could say Calum is a downright asshole and jackass. He doesn't try to be mean to people, but him and Ashton just don't work well together. It's not like Ashton's a princess either, they're both dickheads to each other and therefor they hate each other.

Once he picked up Luke from his house, they headed to school. It's a tradition since Luke sometimes helps pay his gas tank and doesn't want to take the bus. He also drives Luke home after soccer practice occasionally. Only if his parents can't if they're working or busy doing something.

If anyone else asked for a ride, he'd reluctantly let them down or say yes with guilt. He hates seeing the disappointed look or frowns on people's faces. Especially if he's the cause of it. Not when it comes to Ashton, though. He feels proud when he makes Ashton sad because when Ashton insults him, it hurts a lot.

He doesn't try to show it because he likes keeping a straight face on. But, when Ashton puts him down and hurts him or embarrasses Calum, it tugs at his heart strings. Which it really shouldn't because he insults Ashton a lot. Neither are more rude to each other than the other, whatever they say or do is pretty equal. Both are douches and enjoy making the other upset or hurt.

Speaking of Ashton, Luke and Calum were laughing as they pulled into the school parking lot. They were rapping to Bang Bang on the radio and Calum was hysterical over how bad Luke was. It was really amusing, but suddenly he glanced up and realized he swerved a bit, making Ashton who was on a bike quickly turn and bump into a curb, landing on the grass. Luckily he had a helmet on.

Calum gaped, parking quickly and rushed out of the car. People were watching from the school in awe, as if it was the most amusing thing ever and a few even had phones out. Luke and Calum crouched down to where Ashton was sitting up and rubbing his scraped elbows.

He glared at Calum,"You seriously need to pay attention. I do not see how you even passed your drivers test, or own a car that fast because you can barely focus on the road! You could have killed me, neanderthal!"

"To think I was actually going to apologize," Calum mumbled under his breath, scoffing when Luke helped Ashton up. He glanced down at the glasses, not even bothering to pick them up and scoffed,"Who knows? It could have been your fault, watch where you're going. And what's with the bike, loser?"

"Not everyone can afford a freaking mustang," Ashton snapped, cleaning off his glasses that thankfully weren't broken. Considering his last ones were from his and Calum's fight, these were his last pair. He picked up his yellow bike and was happy it wasn't scraped up.

Calum raised an eyebrow,"But you work at the downtown, don't you have money?"

"Yes, getting paid seven dollars an hour with a part time job can definitely get me a car," Ashton grumbled under his breath, giving Luke a quick smile when the blonde pulled out some grass after Ashton took off his helmet. He quickly ruffled his hair that was flattened slightly and gave it more bounce. 

Before Calum could reply, Ashton shoved passed him with a frown and Calum glanced down to see a book fell out of his bag when he fell. He went to go give it to Ashton, but stopped in his step when seeing he was already across the parking lot being speedy. He just tucked the book under his arm and Luke shrugged at him. 

On his way to class, he spotted Ashton and when he went to talk to him Ashton glanced up and scoffed. He rushed away and Calum nearly laughed because Ashton is such a bitch. He rolled his eyes and went to his first class which was thankfully not with Ashton.

History in the morning really wasn't fun at all. But Calum deals with it because he has to. Sadly, he doesn't have any friends in his class and it can be boring. But, when he sat down he realized he had the book with him still. The book Ashton was reading and he was kind of curious when seeing the title 'Will Grayson, Will Grayson' and saw that John Green guy wrote it.

He nearly snorted, cause he's heard of the author. Mainly from all the teen girls reading the Fault in Our Stars. Typical, he thought since Ashton is gay and just had to make all homosexuals seem stereotypical. Unlike most 'gays' Calum wasn't girly and enjoyed sports, cars, and video games. 

He knew Ashton doesn't considering he does have to spend some time with him. He glanced at the teacher, then read the back of the book and shook his head in amusement. What a stupid book, he didn't get why Ashton liked it. Let alone spent money to buy the piece of crap or any book in general.

Instead of reading it like most would think, he tossed it in his bag lazily and thought he might be nice and return it later. It matters if he's in the mood to be nice to Ashton. He may just make Ashton buy it again, that would be fun. Then he went back to looking at the teacher and taking some notes, forgetting about Ashton and his dumb book.

-

It sucks that Calum has five out of eight classes with Ashton and lunch. Of course, in lunch you would think he doesn't need to sit with Ashton. That he could have classes and some time where he doesn't need to glare at the boy. But, sadly having a friend who's friends with your enemies friend isn't fun.

This leads to Calum sitting at his lunch table, waiting for Luke to come by and hoping he was alone for the day. But of course that's not true. When he looked up, he saw Luke walking over with Michael and Ashton following behind. He had that stupid smirk on his face and Calum wanted to smack it off.

He tugged Luke away, asking in a hiss,"Why does he always have to sit with us?"

"Cause, we're friends," Luke shrugged, glancing back at Michael and Ashton who were chatting and seeming panicked. "I really don't get why you hate each other so much. Yeah, you guys are kind of different. But, so are we! Just be nice, you don't have to talk to him."

Calum mimicked him with a mocking expression and followed Luke to the table where the others sat. He slumped in his seat, raising an eyebrow expectantly at Ashton when seeing the boy staring at him. Ashton just looked down, picking at his food with a frown.

Calum shook his head slightly, listening in on what Luke and Michael were talking about. Like usual, it was some movie coming out or a video game the were playing. Sometimes Calum loves hanging out with them and shooting zombies, but other times he wished they could talk about something else. He never says that, though. Because he didn't want to seem lame.

Later on towards the end of lunch, he remembered he had Ashton's book and wondered if he should give it to him. He wanted to, just so he could get the dumb thing out and not have it take up space. But, he also loved the bored and lost expression on Ashton's face.

Whenever he sits with them, he's always reading or talking to Michael. Right now Luke and Might were talking so Ashton would be reading. He didn't see how Ashton could read in lunch. There's way too much noise and it seems annoying to even attempt reading in all of it.

However, Ashton is weird and Calum knew this so he would never question it too much. He kicked Ashton under the table, causing the boy to wince and send him a confused scowl,"Ow, what was that for?"

"I got you something, loser. Might wanna be nice to me or else I won't give it to you," Calum piped up, smirking slightly at the curiously suspicious look on Ashton's face. He also grumbled under his breath,"And maybe you'll learn to look out for cars and not drop your shit."

He grinned, nonchalantly grabbing his bag from under the table. Calum searched for the book in his messy bag and pulled out the book that was slightly bent and messed up a bit. He held it up for Ashton to see and the relief on Ashton's face was very obvious. But so was the horrified expression at how torn and bent the book was.

Ashton exclaimed,"What did you do to it?! It's all ruined now!"

"Dude, it's a book. Calm your tits," Calum snorted.

Hearing the commotion, Michael and Luke glanced at them from their deep conversation about what was better; Sonic, Mario or Donkey Kong. But then Michael's eyes widened when seeing the book and he groaned,"Seriously? That was fifteen dollars!"

A tension was felt and Calum looked at him with furrowed eyebrows,"Wait, you bought him the book? Is this some weird proposal of your love for him? Are you two dating or something?"

"Ew, no," Ashton grimaced, snatching the book from Calum and flipped through the pages only to slump in his chair when seeing it was all ruined. Nothing was ripped, but it wasn't neat and flat like he had it. All brand new and pretty. He takes care of his books, but now there's creases and it's just not the same.

He truly looked upset about this and before Calum could say anything, the bell rang signaling they had five minutes to get to class. He just shrugged, nodding at Ashton as if saying you're welcome. He tossed his trash away and headed to his biology class while Ashton reluctantly went to chemistry.

Thank God they don't have class together or else he would have to deal with Ashton glaring at him constantly. It was just a book that cost way more than it should have. He didn't see what the big deal was. Hopefully he wouldn't have to deal with the glaring in any classes, but of course he does.

Because he had three classes with Ashton for the rest of the day and only one not. So in every class Ashton was staring at him with these narrowed eyes and Calum ignored him. Or at least he tried to which was hard considering he felt the urge to look at Ashton. 

In gym class, Ashton was reading his book thankfully. But he could still feel the boy's eyes on him occasionally. Noticing the way he lifted his glasses up ever so often to show his glaring more. And well, Calum really didn't feel bad for 'ruining' his book because it wasn't a big deal to him.

However, he didn't pay much attention towards that because Zack was in gym class and he felt like staring at his nice ass instead of Ashton's annoying face. It wasn't worth the pain to see how much Ashton hates him. He already knows he does so why should he even care anymore? It was just going to make them hate one another more if they kept thinking about it.

School was soon over and there was no practice today so Calum changed in the locker room and shoved passed Ashton on his way out. He went to his locker, grabbing his bag and waited outside of the school for Luke. They were going to hang out at his place afterschool and probably watch some TV or kick the soccer ball around.

However, when he looked up he noticed Luke walking out with Michael and Ashton. Luke grinned, walking to him and said,"So, I figured we could hang out this weekend and you could stay the night."

"Alright," Calum shrugged, glancing at the others who stayed quiet.

But then Luke added,"Along with Michael and um, Ashton. It'll be fun, my mum said she would stay out of the house and go out with my dad. That means we can be alone and could watch dirty movies on Netflix, play Sonic at three in the morning, eat junk food, we can make those peanut butter cracker things."

"Did you know in one pound of peanut butter, it typically can contain up to one hundred and fifty bug fragments and five rodent hairs?" Ashton said as he looked up from his book, pushing his glasses up his nose. They looked at him in disgust and he shrugged,"It's true! And when a person pees, a small deposit of urine enters the mouth through the saliva glands."

Calum scoffed and motioned to Ashton while looking at Luke,"I am not spending the night if he's gonna be there. Imagine having to listening to these stupid facts for twenty-four hours. He's like Google in a person. I don't want him there."

"Wow, aren't you mature," Ashton snickered. "I'm just telling you the truth. I could list a million more facts if you want but I'm not gonna bother doing that. At least I know some facts that will help me in life. You go ahead and eat all that crap while I'll stay healthy and not shove rodent hair down my throat."

A look of disgust showed on Calum's face,"You're such a fucking freak! Are you really that bored with your life that you look up random facts about crazy shit?"

"No, but it would be better than partying all weekend with friends who couldn't care less about you," Ashton exclaimed, motioning to some guys from the soccer team that were hanging out by a car and acting like annoying jocks.

Calum smirked,"Well, at least I have friends, loser. No one cares about you."

Suddenly Ashton shoved Calum, who stumbled back and gaped at him. A scowl formed on his face and he roughly pushed Ashton. Before they could fight, Michael and Luke tugged them apart in annoyance. It was an everyday thing and it was really getting old.

They seemed to agree because Luke exclaimed in frustration,"Just freaking make out already, I swear you guys are so in love it's pissing me off that you guys can't see it!"

Ashton and Calum glanced at each other then bursted out laughing. They were hysterical, Ashton slumping against Michael as he stumbled a bit while giggling like an idiot and Calum looked at Luke in disbelief with a stupid grin. Luke and Michael groaned, looking at each other helplessly.

"H-Hilarious," Calum commented.

Ashton agreed,"You are so funny, Luke."

"You think this is a joke?" They nodded and Luke smirked a bit. He nudged Michael and they let go of the boys. Luke bit his lip to hold back a grin and he took out something from his bag. They didn't see what and Luke offered,"Alright, why don't we make a little bet then?"

Ashton and Calum said in sync,"A bet?"

They scowled at each other and Michael nodded,"Yep, we bet that you guys couldn't date for a month without falling for each other or well, admitting you already do. You have to act like a couple and everything. We'll explain more at the sleepover, but basically you need to seem truly in love."

"No way," Calum grimaced, glancing at the nerd next to him.

Ashton rolled his eyes,"How typical. Are you scared or something? Afraid to admit you love me?"

"I don't even like you, how could I love you?" Calum exclaimed, then held his hands up and said,"Alright, fine. We'll do the stupid bet. It'll be easy. What do we get when we win?"

"If you win," Luke corrected. "You get a hundred dollars and if we win, we get a hundred. So start saving up cause you guys will definitely lose."

Ashton laughed humorlessly, glancing at Calum saying,"Nope, I'm positive we will." And they quickly high-fived despite hating each other which was already some progress.

"Whatever you say. Let's make this more official. Hemmings," Michael motioned to the blonde that nodded and took out the lollipops from behind his back.

At first Ashton and Calum were confused. But he handed Ashton a blue dumdum and Calum a mystery one. They look amused and Luke explained,"Put the lollipop in each other's mouths."

"Sexual," Michael commented with a dirty mind.

Calum smirked at Ashton,"Well, at least you like to lick the lollipops, lollipop."

"Shut up, cocksucker," Ashton retorted, and it was amusing since they were both gay and already knew it yet they're teasing each other about being gay.

Ashton scrunched his nose in disgust, but reluctantly opened his while Calum did the same and mocked Michael silently. Once they were done, Ashton awkwardly opened his mouth and nearly choked when Calum shoved the lollipop in. Ashton glared, doing the same and Calum winced a bit.

They turned to Michael and Luke, arms crossed and pouty faces as they sucked on the candy. They looked like annoyed toddlers and it was kind of amusing. It seems as though they always act like kids towards each other, being childish and rude to one another for no reason.

However, to Michael and Luke, they could see the fear hidden in their eyes, as if they knew they were going to lose but won't back down from the bet and are determined to win. How they were slightly tense when leaving and the mention of the sleepover was what really made Calum nervous. He would never admit it though, not even to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the night of the sleepover, Calum was grumpily stuffing his clothes in his bookbag along with his phone charger, comb, tooth brush and deodorant. He glanced at the time, seeing he was suppose to be heading over to Luke's in a few minutes and zipped up his back.

He wasn't in a good mood, you could say. Usually he's excited to go to Luke's since it's just him , Luke and Michael most of the time but of course that won't work now. He didn't understand why he agreed to this dumb bet. It was going to be a waste of time and now he can't be with Zack.

The stupidest part is that Michael and Luke have this crazy theory that him and Ashton are secretly in love but don't want to admit it. That's dumb. He doesn't love Ashton at all. He can't stand him if anything. The overly-smart nerd is so annoying and irritating with his useless facts and girly romance novels.

Calum sighed, glancing at his phone and noticing Luke texted him to pack some video games and breath mints. He grimaced, reluctantly doing as told and wondered why he needed breath mints. There's no way he's kissing Ashton, so that ain't gonna happen. He'd rather cut his arm off before putting his lips anywhere on the nerd's body.

He lifted his bag on his back, grabbing his keys and heading downstairs. His house is relatively nice. Nothing to out there, a simply two story home with three bedrooms and one and a half baths. It was cozy and he was content with it despite having to move a lot as a kid for his dad's job. Now they're settled and his dad found a new, more stable job.

When he went to tell his mum he's heading over to Luke's, he smiled and saw his sister was home. She goes to a University not too far away, so she still lives at home but usually spends her time at her friends or staying in there dorm if she has a late class and is too tired to drive home. 

He also recalled she stayed at her boyfriend's dorm, but he wasn't going to blab that to their mum. Unlike a lot of siblings, him and Mali are quite close and like friends rather than siblings. They get on well, don't argue much and get mischievous together rather than at each other.

He rolled his eyes when seeing Mali sneaking a cookie from the batch their mum just made. She noticed him, winking and snuck another one and tossed it to him while their mum was on the phone. Calum winced when catching it considering it was hot, it also crumbled slightly and he kicked the crumbs away then smiled and ate it.

Mali walked over and asked curiously,"What's with the bag?"

"Staying at Luke's for the night," He mumble while chewing on the white chocolate chip goodness. He is infatuated with white chocolate, it's amusing to most people.

Considering she knew all his friends and vice versa, she just nodded,"Cool. Who else is going with?"

"Michael and Ashton," He mentally cringed at the last name. 

A look of confusion showed on Mali's face and she raised an eyebrow,"Oh, so you and Ashton don't hate each other anymore?"

"We still do."

"Figured."

Everyone knows that Calum and Ashton hate one another. That's why when Calum is invited somewhere, Ashton doesn't go and when Ashton is invited somewhere, Calum doesn't go. It's rare Ashton is invited anywhere, but sometimes it happens since he's friends with Luke, who is decently popular.

You could say they were acquantences before they were enemies. Not friends or anything, they just knew each other and sometimes said hi. But then things happened, fights were brought up and no one knew why, but they became enemies soon enough and now they're forced to date and act in love.

When his mum was off the phone, he sighed and finished his cookie quickly. She turned around and put her phone away and Calum said,"Mum, I'm going to Luke's now. I should be back tomorrow around noon."

"Don't stay too late tomorrow, we need to go to Mali's performance," She reminded while booping his nose.

His sister loves singing and music, so she's in this band with her friends that plays small little performances at the cafe down the road. It's nice to see his sister doing something she loves. Suddenly a gasp was heard, their mum gaping when seeing cookies disappeared.

A panicked look appeared on Mali's face and Calum smirked as he rushed out of the house while laughing quietly. He got in his car, seeing it was almost nine and pulled out of his driveway. The reason he's heading over so late is cause Luke's parents weren't leaving till eight so they decided to come over at night so they won't be bothered.

It was Luke who insisted this, saying things were going to happen and they didn't want to get caught. He didn't like the sound of that. Most sleepovers are just them eating at midnight, snacking on junk food, watching dumb movies, playing video games and wrestling each other like idiots.

By the time he got to Luke's street, Calum somehow felt nervous. He didn't want to see Ashton. He knew they would need to act close and touch Ashton. Hold his hand and whatnot. But he really didn't want to. He didn't like the idea and just sighed as he pulled into the driveway.

When he got to Luke's, he could already hear the music blaring and figured the neighbors might complain again. He swore Luke was death, because he blasts his music more than necessary. Which is saying something considering Calum loves music and rarely complains.

He headed inside, knowing where the key was hidden under the small pot by the door and saw Luke was dancing as he vacuumed despite the fact that the floor was just going to be dirty again anyways. He never understood that logic, it's not like Luke needs to impress anyone.

The house was one story, since Luke's brothers had their own place and it was cute, small but nice. He liked small houses anyways, how snuggly they feel and the nice thought of being in a tiny family. Right now it's just Luke and his mum since his dad is in the military.

Calum headed over to the blonde, tossing his bag to the side and smirked when Luke was singing loudly to the song 'Determinate' by Lemonade Mouth. He had a secret love for Disney Channel Original Movies. Especially the music ones and it was hilarious to watch. It was even funnier that he knew all the lyrics and was nodding along to the beat, he even knew the rap part.

"Gotta turn the world into your dance floor. Determinate, d-determinate, push until you can't and then demand more!Determinate, d-determinate," Luke dramatically swung his head back and forth as he practically shouted,"You and me together, we can make it better! Gotta turn the world into your dance floor ! Determinate, d-determinat-oh my fucking god, Calum! Don't do that!"

Suddenly he was bursting out laughing, causing Luke to blush and glare at him. Luckily they realized they needed to hurry and order the pizza, movies and get everything out so they can be lazy and not have to get up later. They got some games, blankets and moved the couches to lay the things out.

This is like a tradition. Having them get the couches in the usual positions, picking out the typical video games like Mortal Kombat, FIFA and Call of Duty along with Mario. But it was fine, cause they loved it. It brings them back to when they were little, making forts and playing on the play station under the blankets.

The doorbell soon rang, and it wasn't the pizzaman since he already arrived with their three boxes (it's necessary, really it is). He knew it was the boys, so he sighed and rolled his eyes when Luke insisted he answered since he needed to grab the paper plates though he really didn't.

Calum reluctantly went to the door and answered, grumbling when seeing Ashton standing in front of him. The boy had his glasses on, a tannish-brown jacket on with his wavy-curly hair brushed to the side. He didn't seem happy to be there either, just pouting slightly with his eyebrows furrowed.

When Ashton went to walk in, Calum slapped his hand on the door frame and stopped him as he teased,"What's the password, loser?"

"I don't know?" Ashton scrunched his nose in annoyance, trying to move through but of course Calum was stronger. He rolled his eyes and yelled out towards the car,"Michael, he's not letting me through! You should take me home, we're breaking up cause Calum's in love with me and won't admit it."

Calum gaped, seeing Michael laughing as he shut his car door. He exclaimed,"I am not in love with you! Who would ever love you? You're so annoying, jesus christ."

"You are very easily upset over this, and you are rather defensive. I wouldn't be surprised if they were right. Those are the signs of hiding something," Ashton pointed out, sneakily moving under Calum's arm. It wasn't hard since Calum was more angered over the words said.

Ashton grinned when he made it inside the house, looking around in awe. As if the small house was that amazing. It's well decorated, but nothing too fancy. Calum has seen a lot nicer houses and he assumed Ashton has as well. He shrugged, letting Michael in and shut the door behind.

As usual, Ashton went straight to the couch after greeting Luke. He sat his bag with the others, kicking off his shoes and took off his jacket. Then he sat down, already comfortable with Luke to where he can do that. Calum rolled his eyes when seeing Ashton taking out his (now ruined) book and continued reading quietly while curled up on the couch.

When he went to complain, Luke tugged him back and shook his head. He motioned to start the xbox and for a while they played some video games. Ashton didn't seem bothered by the loudness. However, Calum was annoyed at how quiet he was being and that he didn't get ticked off.

So he purposely turned the volume up more, which sucked since it was a shooting game and involved a lot of loud noises and explosions. Ashton visibly winced, but hid his frustration. Calum wasn't pleased, nonchalantly bumping the volume up a few more times and Ashton frowned, trying to focus on his words.

But then Calum went up to ninety and Ashton exclaimed,"I know you're doing it on purpose, stop! You are so infuriating sometimes, I swear you just love pushing others buttons."

"I would rather not push your button, darling," Calum emphasized the petname on purpose and shrugged when Ashton looked at him in disgust. "Sorry sweetcheeks, we're a couple now! I just need to express my love with adorable petnames, snookums."

Ashton huffed, the two boys watching them in amusement as Calum had a smug smile on his face. Luke turned down the volume for Ashton, much to Calum's dismay and it wasn't long till they were eating pizza. Ashton kindly declined the offer, insisting that he didn't like fast food and Luke let him have a sandwich instead.

He also had a water while the others drank their sodas carelessly. Ashton wasn't a health freak necessarily. He announced that he just didn't like fast food and pizza because there are people who get mad at customers and spit in their food. Calum found it annoying when he said he would much rather make his own food or have someone he trusts cook for him. Because no one is going to cook for him, he nearly scoffed.

After finishing his sandwich, Ashton went back to reading and Calum didn't understanding how someone could read that much. He didn't seem fun. He shrugged it off, chatting with the boys about some people they like in school. Every time Calum rated someone or announced that he found a person hot, Michael and Luke would roll their eyes and he didn't get why.

But suddenly Ashton sat up, gasping when he knocked over Calum's soda which spilled over the taller boy's lap. Calum frantically stood up, grimacing at the sticky feeling and Ashton had a pale expression on his face. He went to apologize but Calum was shoving him roughly and Ashton fell on the floor with a wince as he banged his elbow slightly.

Luke gripped Calum's arm and exclaimed,"You need to calm the fuck down! It was an accident, don't shove him like that. He's our friend and was obviously going to apologize!"

"Whatever," Calum huffed, but did feel slightly guilty when Ashton stood up and rubbed his sore elbow. "I...I'm sorry. I guess."

Ashton glared at him,"Sure you are."

"I am."

"If you say so."

Before Calum could speak, Michael groaned,"Just take the damn apology."

So, Ashton did and Luke gave him some ointment and a bandaid for his scraped elbow. The bandaid had my little ponies on it and Ashton giggled a bit, shaking his head in amusement. For some reason, it was a struggle for Calum not to smile at the sound and he took a seat on the floor after changing his pants. Since he changed, so did the others since it was late anyways.

Michael and Luke went in the laundry room to wash the pants, leaving the two alone. Neither said anything, just sparing a few glances and Ashton was changed in plaid pajama bottoms and a batman shirt. He still had his glasses on, typing on his phone that Calum realized was an old samsung galaxy and even had a keypad. He didn't even know people still owned phones with keypads.

Before he could ask about it, Michael and Luke returned with a empty water bottle and Luke looked relieved so he must have downed it and went to the bathroom. Michael was laughing and he figured that Luke almost peed his pants cause that's pretty typical.

"I just dared him to drink the whole thing and he did," Michael explained, shaking his head in amusement and the two sat down. "So, we need you guys to start being nicer to each other. You have a month. You need to be convincing and seem completely in love! So stop fucking fighting."

They just rolled their eyes and Luke added,"We're going to try to get you guys to be closer and to understand each other. So for now we're gonna try to have you guys get to know each other. First, compliment each other. Nothing sarcastic or reluctant. You need to mean the compliment. Calum, you go first."

Calum groaned, but shut up when Luke glared. He shifted in his spot, unwillingly turning to Ashton and looked him over. He saw the boy fidget as he was stared at and Calum eyed him a bit, biting his bottom lip as he tried finding something attractive about him.

Finally he said awkwardly,"I - I mean you have pretty eyes? Like, hazel eyes are...cute. I guess."

"Thanks you?" Ashton wasn't sure if that was even a compliment. But Luke then motioned for him to compliment Calum. He seemed to have already had his and said,"I like your hair, it's really unique and you consistently make different variety of styles with it. So, that is rather nice."

Michael and Luke seemed pleased, nodding and Michael said,"Now, give each other a small dare or request. Nothing to extreme, we're not getting the damn cops involved again! You can actually ask a question if you want. Whatever. But you need to do it unless we think it's unfair."

A smirk formed on Calum's face,"I dare you to sing a childhood theme song you know by heart and dance to it. And you need to do it like you mean it, smiling and everything."

Ashton's blank face turned into horror and he pleaded,"No, I - I despise singing so much. Please, anything but that."

"Nope, do it. I'll be fair and say you don't have to sing the whole thing, just most of it." With that said, Calum grinned and scooted against the couch as he crossed his arms behind his head and leaned back. He was rather pleased when the other two motioned for Ashton to do it.

Since acapella didn't seem fair, Luke got his laptop and had Ashton regretfully look up the karaoke on YouTube. He was surprised they had one. He heard Michael and Luke snickering, knowing what song it was and they seemed very pleased with the choice.

Ashton sighed, nervously tapping his finger on his thigh as he quickly thought of the lyrics then Luke pressed play with a small laugh and Calum tried to hide a laugh when recognizing the music right away. Ashton took a breath, placing a fake smile on his face which had the boys giggling like idiots.

"Bing Bang Diggariggadong, the first thing that i say after i wake up!" He sang loudly, the boys laughing like idiots much to Ashton's embarrassment as he threw his arms in the arm. He really regrets coming to Luke's. "Bing Bang Diggariggadong, I say those words before i go to sleep...!"

He knew most of the dances and it was amusing, seeing him spin around and sing with a fake girn,"Get on up it's time to dance, Yeah! Its so much fun being up on our feet..." He paused, nodding to the song and did a cupcake face, then jumped like a little girl,"So, we go up, up, do the jump, move around and clap your hands together. Down, down, turn around, having fun is what it's all about!"

"Bing Bang Diggariggadong, funny words i say when i am dancing. Bing Bang Diggariggadong, silly words that can't mean anything," Ashton took a breath, about to continue but the boys were on the floor dying of laughter and begging him to stuff much to his relief.

He was blushing like an idiot, burying his face in his hands and was out of breath anyways. Calum could hardly breath from how hard he was laughing, seeing Ashton sitting on the couch with a sheepish expression on his face and he wished he was recording that, honestly.

Luke asked hysterically,"H-How the hell do you remember all of that?"

"I dunno," Ashton lied, and it was kind of obvious he was. "Anyways, um, my turn! Calum, I want you to not use your phone for a whole week."

"What."

His expression was hilarious and Ashton grinned,"You heard me, no phone for a week."

"Just do it Calum, it's not that bad," Michael snorted. "I was expecting worse."

Calum exclaimed,"You're kidding! This is going too far, I need my phone! My mum calls me-"

"No she doesn't."

"I need to know the weather-"

"There's a thing called the TV."

"How will I know if Liam Payne shaved or not?!"

"Seriously?" Ashton scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Suddenly, Michael snatched Calum's phone and handed it to Luke who went to hide it. Calum was practically having a panic attack, not sure what to do now. He feels empty without knowing where his phone is. Biting his bottom lip nervously and seeing Luke returned phoneless.

Before he could say anything, Michael grinned,"Now, Ashton you go over and sit next to Calum." Ashton reluctantly did so, pouting as he scooted closer when noticing Michael's expression. "Okay, Calum you need to hold his hand. Just do it, gosh! It's not that bad."

Calum grimaced, taking Ashton's hand in his. He awkwardly entwined their fingers, and it was probably the strangest thing that's ever happened. Feeling the boy's hand in his. Luke made them scooter closer, tossing Ashton's legs across Calum's lap and Ashton groaned in annoyance as he got more comfortable and hesitantly leaned against Calum more.

They realized Michael was taking a picture, so they faked a smile and Luke rolled his eyes,"Wait, wait. Calum, kiss Ashton's cheek too."

"Oh hell no-"

"Just fucking do it or I'll make you sleep outside and take away your damn car keys!"

Calum jumped at Luke's harsh tone, quickly kissing Ashton's cheek and Ashton faked a grin as Michael frantically took the photo that turned out decently. They hurried to pull away from each other, dusting off their clothes as if they had cooties and sighed in relief.

"Is that enough for today?" Ashton whined, yawning as he looked at the time and saw it was two in the morning.

Luke shook his head,"One more thing, you're sharing the couch. Oh don't whine, you guys haven't even got to the best part. School will be so much worse."

And yeah, that night was definitely interesting. At first they were hoping to get away with doing top and tail but Michael woke up and saw they weren't laying next to each other. So, Ashton had to awkwardly scoot his way next to Calum, who huffed in annoyance and struggled to get comfortable.

He finally gave up, roughly wrapping an arm around Ashton who winced and glared at him. Calum mimicked his annoyed look and grumbled,"Just get over it, it's only for tonight."

So, Ashton turned to and let Calum spoon him. Calum narrowed his eyes when Ashton started snoring a few minutes later. He couldn't go a month dealing with this. Hopefully Ashton will get annoyed as well.

Then they would just pay the hundred dollars because day one was down and he wasn't look forward to the rest. After seeing what they had to do. That they were going to need to do more than hugging, considering Luke said school was going to be much worse.

He really wasn't knowing what to expect. Whether Luke will make them kiss or something. If that happens, he's done and just going to give up. Nothing was worse than dealing with Ashton, or that's what he told himself. If only he knew what Ashton was thinking.


	4. Chapter 4

The only reason Calum woke up at nine in the morning is because Ashton was trying to get out of his grip, growling like a dog and squirming around. A glare formed on Calum's face, him smirking as he roughly pushed Ashton off the couch. Ashton fell, landing on Michael (who was laying on the floor with Luke) with a groan of pain.

It wasn't the nicest way to wake someone up, but hey, Ashton woke Calum up which wasn't fair at all. So, Calum grinned triumphantly and laid back down hoping to fall asleep again. However, life doesn't ever go the way he wants and he reluctantly sat up when Luke smacked his face.

He was smacked since he was rude to Ashton. Apparently the rules of the bet were simple, and right now Calum only knew he wasn't allowed to be mean to Ashton or say things to him he wouldn't say to his boyfriend. Luke knew Calum was a romantic guy and whenever he dated someone, he treated them like an angel so he was stuck having to do the same with Ashton.

Luckily the sleepover wasn't long because Ashton had to leave early. At first they all four had breakfast and Ashton was reading his book while Luke was texting someone and Michael was on twitter. Calum was mentally twitching, hearing the pages turn and the fingers tapping and he wanted his phone.

Seeming to notice his tenseness, Ashton glanced up at him through his glasses and sent him a small wink as he smirked at Calum's angered expression. It wasn't those sexy winks or secret ones, it was the devious type where you pretty much wanna stab the person when they do it.

However, Calum ended up stabbing his pancake and scratching his fork across the plate just to annoy everyone because that's how he is. Calum is an actual sweetheart, constantly trying to make people happy. But with Michael and Luke, he loved ticking them off sometimes and definitely was that way with Ashton. Except, Ashton isn't his friend. He does it purposely to anger him.

It wasn't long till Michael had to drive Ashton home. Luke wanted to offer Calum to drive him, but for some reason Ashton was a very secretive person and only trusted 'Michael' of all people. Not that Michael is a bad guy, Calum sometimes holds a grudge with the guy since he pretty much stole Luke from him.

Which is weird since him and Luke only started being friends since year ten, AKA two years ago and now they were in year twelve. Sadly, Michael just had to befriend him. He actually is quite fond of Michael, not in a romantic way, but he just thinks the guy is cool. If only he didn't steal his best friend.

It was rather rare for him and Luke to spend time alone, which is why he happily agreed to staying with Luke again for the night even though school was tomorrow. It didn't matter, since they drive to school together anyways. Both parents were fine with it and Calum wasn't happy considering he didn't have his phone and needed to use Luke's.

It was the most annoying thing ever, not having his phone and being forced to actually talk to Luke. It's not like he hates talking, if anything Calum is a chatter box and constantly teased for it. But, he doesn't like the awkward silences and kept fidgeting whenever Luke would grab his own phone as it beeped.

Each beep was like hell. As if he could feel that it's his own phone but remembered he had 'Kill the DJ' as his while Luke had some dumb animal noise that resembled a dying cow. But Luke insisted it was a pig giving birth and Calum rolled his eyes at his weird friend.

Finally annoyed, Calum grinned when Luke left the room and started searching for his phone. He paused, trying to think of where Luke (being a typical blonde, no offense) would hide it. He checked the drawers, the closet, under the bed and beneath the pillows then inside of them.

No luck.

He groaned, glancing at the door in case Luke walked in and searched more until he finally succeeding as he saw the phone on the dresser under a shirt. Just as he went for it, Luke walked in and he halted like a deer caught in a headlight. Luke noticed he was trying to get his phone and they both tackled each other once Calum grabbed it.

"Give me my phone!" Calum pleaded, straddling Luke as he tried snatching it from him but groaned when Luke rolled over him.

Luke retorted, wincing as Calum pulled his hair,"Bitch, get your hands off me! We're not girls! You can't have your phone till Friday!"

"I need my phone!"

"No you don't, it's okay! It's only six more days!"

"I can't go that long! Must. Tweet. Must!"

"That's the problem with society today, everyone is constantly on the edge of their seats trying to see if they were tweeted back or if their crush posted a photo, years ago we never even - ooh a text!" Luke grinned, rolling off Calum and grabbing his phone from off the bed to reply to his text.

Calum scoffed, pouting when seeing Luke still had his phone and he complained,"Why do I have to suffer just cause stupid loser Ashton told me I can't use it? That's not fair! My dare only lasted two minutes, his is lasting a week! Just give it back, I won't tell him!"

However, Luke simply ignored him and smirked when Calum whined. It's times like these where Calum basically wants to smack Luke with a fish. he didn't think it was fair at all. All he wanted to do was check his notifications, is that too much to ask? It sucked that his mum just laughed when he said why he didn't have his phone.

It was the next day when Calum reluctantly went with Luke to pick up Ashton. Him and Luke argued the whole morning as they got ready for school. Luke insisted they needed to spend the whole month together and Calum's still contemplating if he should just give up the bet.

But he knew in the end that Luke would hold it against him. Besides, it's not that big of a deal. A month with his worst enemy being cutesy together? No problem. He can act like a boyfriend with Ashton and not really have feelings for him, lots of celebrities do it all the time.

Considering Ashton is at Michael's house for some reason, it just meant less trips for Calum but also more people in his car and messing it up. He grumbled under his breath the whole ride to the house and parked right outside the house, only to see Ashton and Michael leaving the door.

Calum's been to Michael's house before, so he was familiar with the outside and knew Michael's room was on the second floor with a cool TV that Calum was jealous of. He sighed, noticing Ashton wore a jean vest type jacket that had a grey hoodie over his black graphic t-shirt and skinny jeans. He wasn't wearing glasses, but Calum snorted when seeing they were hanging from his shirt in his reach.

As they got in the backseat, Luke nudged Calum with a knowing look. He groaned, remembering what Luke said and put on a fake grin as he said to Ashton while looking at him through the mirror,"Good morning, you look very fucking cute today! How was your day so far?"

"What." Ashton blinked while Michael snickered from his seat.

"See?! He didn't fall for it!" Calum rolled his eyes, pulling out of the driveway and shook his head while Luke was cackling like an idiot. It's too early for this shit. He started driving towards the school and asked Ashton in confusion,"So, do you like, live with Michael or something? You two are always together."

Ashton coughed awkwardly as Michael stiffened a bit. He said with a shrugged,"Um, no. I just hang out with him a lot, do you have a problem with that?"

"Nope, no problem at all," Calum grinned. "So where do you live then?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Why are you avoiding my question?"

"Why do you care?"

"Just tell me where the hell you live!"

"Stalker!"

"Tell me!"

"P. Sherman 42 Walabeway, Sydney!"

Suddenly Michael bursted out laughing, Calum even snickering quietly as Ashton sheepishly glanced out the window regretting saying that. Luke couldn't breath, leaning against the window for support and yeah, maybe Ashton wasn't such a bad guy but Calum still didn't like him. Or at least didn't want to.

By the time they got to school, there were a few minutes before first class. Luke tugged both Ashton and Calum back by their shirts, raising an eyebrow at the two and motioned to their hands. They both grimaced, Ashton reluctantly holding his hand out for Calum and the boy huffed as he took his hand before entwining their fingers.

You could say people were surprised when they saw Calum and Ashton holding hands. Not just that, but they were smiling and it actually looked like a real smile despite Calum insulting Ashton repeatedly through the grit of his teeth and Ashton doing the same as they went to their lockers.

Thankfully no one said anything and Calum was relieved when he left Ashton to go to his first class. Him wiping his hand on his jeans and he noticed they smelled like lotion. Ashton obviously mositririzes. Calum nearly snorted at the realization, shaking his head and paying attention for once in class.

But then Calum was thinking. Not just about Ashton, just in general the idea of dating. Is this what Luke expects a relationship to be like? Or is he going off what Calum does? Because, so far it seems that way. The holding hands, pictures on instagram and cuddling. 

That's how Calum was with his ex boyfriend's. Always so snuggly and kissing them repeatedly. He was just hoping Luke wouldn't make him do that with Ashton. Because he really doesn't want to kiss Ashton at all. It's just not right to kiss someone over a bet.

In lunch, Calum unwillingly went over to where the boys were sat and saw Ashton reading his book with his glasses on but he noticed it was a new one. He couldn't make out the name, but it looked like something he would typically read considering it was once again by the same author.

Calum sighed, sitting next to Ashton and slumped in his seat. Luke waved, saying sweetly,"Hello, how was your day?"

"I want my phone," Calum grumbled, taking out his lunch and saw Ashton was simply eating a bag of grapes. They didn't even look good, just old and smushed.

Michael sighed, smirking as he said,"Okay, want your phone back? Give Ashton a kiss."

"Excuse me?" Calum gaped, horrified at the thought and noticed Ashton's attention was finally caught as he nearly choked on his grape and slammed his book shut.

A smug expression formed on Michael's face and he nodded,"Yep, Luke has the phone in his bag. Figured you'd want it so if you really want the dumb thing back, then kiss Ashton. Right on the lips. Right now, where everyone can see. And make it good too."

Ashton shook his head with a grossed out face,"Ew, no! I didn't sign up for this!"

"Yeah, you kind of did," Luke shrugged, sipping his water. "You have to act like a couple and um, I'm pretty sure couples kiss each other. Unless my life has been a lie. It's part of the deal, now Calum, do you really want your phone back?"

Before Ashton could say anything, Calum was turning his face and pressing his lips right on Ashton's who was too shocked to do anything until he squirmed slightly. Calum pinched his arm, making Ashton wince and he moved his lips against the boy's for a good two seconds before pulling away and sneakily wiping his mouth.

He shivered a bit, shaking his head and seeing the surprised, gaping expressions on Michael and Luke's face. They thought he wouldn't do it, that made him smirk a bit. Calum shrugged, holding his hand out while pleading breathlessly,"Phone. Now."

Michael looked at Luke, nodding slowly and the blonde got out the phone in confusion as he handed it to Calum. Calum grinned, unlocking the screen and petted the technology slightly with a relieved expression. But then he turned, feeling Michael kick his leg and Michael pointed hesitantly to Ashton.

At first Calum was confused, but tilted his head to see Ashton staring at the table with his fingers brushing against his lips with a blank expression. Calum smirked, asking in amusement,"Aw, someone liked the kiss."

"Liked it? I felt violated! H - How could you just kiss me like that? I - I did not agree to that," Ashton looked honestly offended, narrowing his eyes at Calum and thankfully just scoffed then stuffed his book in his bag. "I am going to the library if anyone needs me. Don't need me."

As he went to leave, Luke grabbed his arm and retorted,"Excuse you. You can't leave your boyfriend after kissing him like that. Sit down and share a soda with him. Oh and snuggle with him a little. You guys just got together, you're in the honeymoon stage right now. Get cuddly."

Ashton looked as though he wanted to protest and Calum was surprised as he sat down, slamming his bag on the ground and scooted closer to Calum. The taller of the two raised his eyebrow, seeing Ashton nervously cuddling into him. Calum awkwardly wrapped his arm around Ashton and noticed how tense he was.

Michael raised an eyebrow,"C'mon, make it more believable."

Calum groaned, closing his eyes and relaxed a bit. As they shared a drink, Calum noticed how tense Ashton was still and hesitated before brushing his fingers against the boy's shoulder to make him loosen up. Ashton shivered under his touch and it made Calum feel a bit smug that he had that effect on people.

For the rest of lunch, no one said much and Luke set a few rules like how Calum needed to come up with a nickname for Ashton and the first that came to mind was 'lollipop' which Ashton did not like at all. But, Calum just smirked as he confirmed that he will be calling him that.

The bell rang and Luke insisted Calum walked Ashton to class since it was down the same hall. So, he tossed his food away and Ashton pouted as he let Calum take his hand. They casually swung their entwined fingers between each other with Calum holding Ashton's books and well, there's an advantage for Ashton but he didn't like the extra weight and Ashton had his book bag but whatever.

When they got the class, Calum saw Luke giving him a wink and he reluctantly kissed Ashton's cheek quickly and said in a sickeningly sweet voice,"I'll see you in gym, lollipop. Have a nice time in class."

"I'll miss you," Ashton forced out, smiling and quickly went into the classroom.

Calum rolled his eyes, shaking his head and went to his own class. People saw, he definitely knew that since so many classmates were giving him weirded out looks. Probably from his picture on instagram, the kiss at lunch and well everything else. There were so many comments on the picture, luckily no one asked about it.

Sadly, in gym is when the questioning started. Because Michael was having Ashton cheer Calum's name and it was honestly so embarrassing. He constantly blushed when people stared at him, Ashton also looking mortified of all the attention. Calum kept glaring at Michael, who simply waved and nudged Ashton to call Calum's name more like an annoying girlfriend.

He was running down the field, kicking the soccer ball towards a teammate and rushing down the field. He shoved passed a player on the opposite team, going towards the goal. Ashton was screaming his name obnoxiously, making Calum hold back a glare and he eagerly kicked the ball between the boy's legs, scoring.

Calum panted slightly, wiping his forehead that was sweating. A fellow teammate ran up to him, patting his back and congratulated him as they headed over to rest near where Michael and Ashton were. Ashton called out with a loving sigh,"Good job, babe! You looked so hot out there!"

A blush coated his cheeks, noticing the small glint in Ashton's eyes and he knew he was doing it on purpose. He nodded, leaning up to where Ashton sat and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek like usual and said in response,"Thanks babe, you're not too bad yourself."

Ashton sheepishly looked down and it wasn't even like he was acting. He swung his legs slightly, holding a book in his lap and Calum bit back a true smile at the sight. He turned back to his teammate, ignoring Michael's smug expression.

His teammate asked in confusion, glancing between the two boys,"Are you dating him or something? I thought you hated each other."

"Ashton? Yeah ri-" Calum halted in his words, seeing the look on Michael's face and fuck, it was like the moment hit him. This was where he had to make his move to prove he can do this.

Ashton raised an eyebrow expectantly at Calum. He cleared his throat, knowing these words would cause so many problems. That now it makes everything more real and that now the bet is definitely on. Once he says this, he can't go back and he knew that. Hopefully it would be worth it.

Despite it just being for money, it seemed like so much more. It was for proof that he didn't have feelings for Ashton and vice versa. That they're not even friends. It was to shut Luke and Michael up, to prove them wrong. It wasn't even just for that, it was more like he wanted to prove it to himself as well. Which is why he did it and why he said those words that set it off;

"Yeah, me and Ashton are together."


	5. Chapter 5

"Boardwalk! Pay up bitch!"

"No way, I got four!"

"That's obviously a five, Mali!"

"Calum, please don't make me pay."

"You landed on it, you pay."

A pout formed on Mali's lips as Calum smirked. She went through her monopoly cash and reluctantly handed him four hundred dollars. Calum had a smug expression as he placed the money neatly with his others. It was sorted by each amount and his mum chuckled at her kids.

Every once and a while, there's a time where the Hood family has a game night. They play video games, board games and card games constantly. It usually ends with them not talking for about ten days and there's tension in the house, Calum insisting that Mali owes him four hundred dollars for landing on his boardwalk. Luckily she paid up this time.

Right now there wasn't tension, just Mali whining about him being a bitch and saying he should stick a saw up his ass and to smack himself with a hammar. It was rather violent in his opinion, but he just laughed and his mum gave her a warning look to not be such a jerk.

He was dressed in plaid pajama pants and a white t-shirt, his hair was kind of messy and he basically looked like trash but it didn't matter much. They always dress in pajamas, even though it's practically eight and he usually just puts pajamas on right before he goes to bed.

He chuckled, moving his dog piece five places and landed on community chest, of course gaining a hundred dollars. As anyone with eyes could see, he was the best at Monopoly. No one could beat him and it wasn't hard for him since he had a good strategy for it. 

Suddenly, his mum went and she landed right on his boardwalk as well. It as obviously luck, and then the game ended since she couldn't pay full price. Then Mali lost and well, that's really how it ended. Even with selling all her properties, Calum had hotels and houses on his property.

Thus the tension began and Calum smugly cleaned up the living room with his mum and sister. She kept glaring at him whenever he mentioned winning again and they put a point under his name. They keep score and at the end of the year, the winner gets a hundred dollars from their mum if one of them win and the sibling does the others chores for a month or their mums if she won. So far, Calum won twice and Mali and their mum only won once.

After saying goodnight, Calum went upstairs and got his bag ready for school along with picking out his outfit. He laid it out, brushing his teeth and laying down. It wasn't late, so he just laid back to watch some TV and wait until it was night time. He put on some Nick show and relaxed for a bit.

It was around nine o'clock and he leaned back with a bag of chips. He then noticed his phone beeped and he saw it was Ashton of all people. The only reason he has his number is because Michael forced him to put it in his phone saying they need to call or text every once and a while. 

[From: Asston Irloser]

Hello, neanderthal.

[To: Asston Irloser]

Hey, loser. Why the fuck r u texting me? 

[From: Asston Irloser]

Cause Mr.Clifford insisted I talked to you and now he's basically glaring at me since I keep rolling my eyes. What are you doing?

[To: Asston Irloser]

Watchin tv, wbu?

[From: Asston Irloser]

Can you talk like a normal human being? Please use correct grammar, idiot.

Calum scoffed, pouting and decided not to text back. He didn't appreciate Ashton practically insulted his grammar. He chooses not to text properly because it takes longer and it's not like he's in school, so he should be allowed to type any way he wanted to.

Before he could think it through anymore, there was a ringing and he groaned when seeing it was Ashton. He hesitated, then ignored the call in hopes that Ashton wouldn't call him back. But, like always, he recieved another call and let out a whine when seeing it was Ashton once again.

Finally he answered and asked snappily,"What the hell do you want now?"

"Michael keeps bugging me! He said to call, so I called," Ashton grumbled, and Calum frowned a bit when hearing video games playing in the background. Obviously Ashton was at Michael's considering Ashton doesn't play video games. He only knew that because Ashton complains about them a lot.

Without thinking much, Calum grumbled,"Why are you at Michael's? It's almost ten."

"I'm staying the night," Ashton said casually, and there was a muffling sound before Calum heard him shouting at Michael to turn down the TV. 

"Why are you always at his place?" Calum didn't know why it annoyed him so much. He just expected that Ashton wasn't the type of person to stay at a person's house overnight. It didn't seem right in his mind. Not to mention Ashton always seems to be hanging out with Michael. 

Ashton sighed in annoyance,"Cause I feel like it. Michael said we need to be nicer, he can hear us arguing apparently. Which we're not, we're simply not being kind towards each other. But, whatever. So, boyfriend, anything you want t ask me? Since we apparently aren't being nice."

"How big is your díck?"

"Michael, Calum's taunting me!"

And that was basically how the rest of the conversation went. Calum wasn't going to let everything between Ashton and him get in the way of him being his usual self. He is kind of a sexual person and if they need to be with each other, then he's gonna want to know these things.

Of course, Ashton was pretty innocent. No, he's definitely aware of innuendos and how sex went. He's not like that. He's aware of everything, however he hates dirty jokes and he would much rather have a romantic relationship instead of a sexually one. Though, he's not opposed to sex as long as he's in love. or that's what he always tells Michael and Calum overhears that quite a lot.

Calum found it amusing whenever Ashton told him to shut up and simply mimicked him with his hands in a puppet like form as Ashton would ramble. He rolled his eyes whenever Ashton tried to say something and just hummed casually until finally, Michael let then hang up for the night and for some reason, it wasn't the worst thing ever that they had to talk.

-

His feelings for Zack were the kind where you don't really like the person, but more of the thought of being with them. He just thought Zack was really hot and wouldn't complain if the guy asked Calum to suck him off. Cause, well, Calum has really nice blowjob lips.

He was in the locker room for soccer practice and couldn't stop staring at him. It's not his fault, because Zack is one of the hottest guys in school and Calum finds himself drooling over him so much. He had an amazing six pack and he was so tan with these bright blue eyes, a hint of silver, and dark brown hair that looked black and was in a nice quiff.

The thing is, Calum has a type. He's considered picky but it's not his fault. He loves blue eyes and black hair. All his ex-boyfriends were like that and he just thought it was super hot. The dark hair making the eyes seem brighter and he could just imagine staring into them like when he had sex with his ex's and always climaxed with darker blue eyes.

Suddenly he jumped, hearing a locker slam shut and quickly tugged on his tanktop. He glanced over at Zack, eyes catching the bright blue ones and blushed when Zack smiled at him. Unlike most hot and popular guys, Zack was a sweetheart though can be cocky or a jerk sometimes. But, everyone usually is.

Calum quickly followed Zack outside after tugging on his shoes. He went over to where Zack was standing with a cup of water and went to talk to him, but nearly gaped when seeing Ashton sitting on the bleachers with a book in his hand and a smirk on his face as he waved to Calum. He wore a light shirt with a couple buttons at the top and a grey beanie, some skinny jeans along with his usual glasses. 

He grumbled, slamming his water down and stomped over to Ashton. He glanced around before grabbing Ashton's arm and nearly made Ashton fall as he stumbled down to where Calum was dragging him. He huffed, wincing a bit when being slammed against the wall by the locker rooms and fixed his glasses.

Calum sneered,"What are you doing here?"

"Luke made me come, said I need to be a supportive boyfriend or whatever," Ashton shrugged, smoothing out his shirt that Calum wrinkled and asked curiously with a slightly teasing grin,"Does someone have a crush on Zachary Freeman? That's just adorable. The jock is infatuated with someone who doesn't even like guys."

"Shut up," Calum said through gritted teeth.

Ashton simply sang loudly,"Calum likes Zack! Calum likes Zack! Calum likes Za-mmpf."

A shiver went down Calum's spine when Ashton licked his hand that he covered the guy's mouth with. He grimaced, wiping his wet hand on his shorts and said in embarrassment,"Shut up, Ashton! I don't like him! Besides, you can't just shout that out, we're suppose to be dating."

"Right, we're dating. Forgot," Ashton had a look of disgust, shaking his head a bit.

Calum frowned,"I'm not that bad, gosh. If anything I should be embarrassed, I'm dating a loser. Or should I say, I'm dating my lollipop who's sweet as candy and shit."

"Shit isn't sweet, I'm assuming and quite calling me lollipop. It's weird and not a good nickname at all, I think I prefer loser," Ashton grumbled, and there was a whistle heard signaling practice was starting. Ashton ran a hand through his curly hair and shrugged,"Time for practice, break a leg. Literally."

Before Calum could respond, he was shoved and glared at Ashton who had an innocent. Calum shook his head in annoyance and went over to the group of boys and saw Luke chatting with Zack. He pouted and went over, glancing at Ashton who was reading quietly.

Practice was boring like always, very tiring and Calum was so use to playing soccer that practice always seems to be the same as always. He's been playing for years and gets bored, so he switches positions a lot and the only thing he's bad at is being a goalie. Which always made Luke joke that he's bad with balls.

Every once and a while, Calum would glance at Ashton and see him always reading. It was like that's all he did. Read and read and read. He didn't understand and sometimes wanted to ask Ashton why he loves it so much. But then he realized that meant he cared and he'd rather not care.

Throughout practice, Calum was also staring at Zack who would catch him and give the guy a wink. He figured Zack had to like guys, since no straight guy winks at another. Or maybe they do but he'd rather not think that and would much rather assume Zack enjoys sucking people off.

When it ended, he went back to the locker room but was stopped by Luke. He motioned to Ashton, who reluctantly came down and hesitantly hugged Calum with a forced grin. Calum was confused, holding back a grimace and hugged Ashton back slowly when seeing Luke's expression.

Ashton said sweetly, kissing Calum's cheek,"You looked really good out there, babe. But you would have looked a lot better with your shirt off."

A few whistles were heard and some of the teammates were laughing and smirking. Calum blushed. None of his ex boyfriends ever said that and hearing it come from Ashton was cringing. But, he knew it was an act so he simply pressed a kiss to Ashton's nose and thanked him before going to the locker room.

Some guys smacked him on the bum and it wasn't always cause they were gay, lots of athletes just do that. As he stripped down, a few guys made snide remarks about Ashton and he didn't know how to react to them. For a second he imagined Ashton was his real boyfriend just to reply to them.

When he finally was finished, he went out with his bag and reluctantly took Ashton's hand as they headed towards Luke's car and Ashton leaned into Calum a bit to make it more realistic. Since Luke insisted they needed to at least try to get to know each other, he made them join him at the mall. 

As soon as they got to the car, Luke was waiting for them and Calum reluctantly opened the door for Ashton. Ashton actually thanked him, much to Calum's surprise and Luke got in the back seat. When he turned on the radio, Ashton rolled his eyes and that just made Calum turn it up louder just to annoy him.

After a few minutes, they stopped at a red light and Luke said nonchalantly,"Calum, take Ashton's hand and give him a compliment. A real one."

"Whatever," Calum huffed and took Ashton's hand, awkwardly entwining their fingers. He turned to Ashton and eyed him a bit, nodding to himself while Ashton was shifting in the seat self-consciously. "Um, I really like it when you wear glasses...I think they're very...dorky cute. I think glasses are actually kind of - like, sexy."

"Oh. T - Thanks, I guess," Ashton said with a somewhat higher voice. He cleared his throat and saw Luke giving him a look meaning to give a compliment. He glanced at Calum and shrugged,"You look really good in tanktops. I think it's nice to show off your biceps."

Calum sheepishly nodded,"T-Thanks."

Finally the light turned green and he quickly took his hand away, driving into the malls parking lot. He noticed Luke's smug expression and mentally rolled his eyes. When they got to the mall, they parked and Calum got out. He went over to Ashton's side, knowing to open the door for him and they held hands once again.

But apparently they needed to step it up and Calum huffed as he took his hand from Ashton and wrapped his arm around the shorter boy's waist. At first it was fine, they went to a few stores with Luke and every time he tried getting them to talk, they struggled to do so and Calum barely had his hand on Ashton's waist and kind of hovered it over.

When he finally put his hand on carefully, getting lazy, Ashton squirmed a bit and Calum raised an eyebrow. All he recieved was a forced smile and Calum just shrugged it off. They went to a music store and Luke got a few CD's while Calum and Ashton checked out the movies. 

He turned Ashton towards some rock CD's and the action had him press his hand more into his side and Ashton let out a loud giggle, blushing when people stared. He looked down in embarrassment and Calum scoffed,"What the hell was that?"

"I - I'm ticklish," Ashton admitted, squirming in Calum's grip to get out. But a smirk formed on Calum's face and Ashton easily recognized it as he exclaimed,"Don't you dare! Don't. Calum, I'm serious! Let me go right now - No! S -Stop, p-please! L-Let me go -hahaha- Calum I-I swear!"

Calum pressed his fingers into Ashton's sides, grinning as Ashton struggled in his arms and kept squirming around trying to get out his grip. He was in a fit of giggles, laughing loudly with a red face and weakly moving around as people stared at them like they were crazy.

For some reason he just really liked that Ashton was laughing. He kept panting a bit, trying to speak but just kept laughing as Calum continued poking his sides while teasingly saying,"No! C'mon, this is really cute! Your laugh is hilarious! I finally know how to make you stop yapping all the time."

"C-Calum, seriously! S-Stop, no, n-no," Ashton shrieked, shoving Calum slightly but let out a loud laugh when Calum gripped his sides and they both jumped when knocking over a bracelet stand.

Ashton gaped, panting slightly and looked at Calum with a red face and wide eyes,"Oh shit."

"Run!" Calum exclaimed quietly, grabbing his hand and dragging him out of the shop but Ashton was still weak from being tickled to death. Thankfully they got out in time, though.

When they got outside, they were silent for a second and staring at each other breathlessly from running. Ashton glanced at Calum, the two with blank faces but soon bursted out laughing and leaning against the wall with amused grins and for once they weren't fighting.

Which kind of worried Calum, considering it's only been a couple days of them 'dating'. He cleared his throat a bit and Ashton glanced at him. He had this small smile on his face, causing Calum to bit his lip nervously. Before either could speak, they heard someone say their names and turned to Luke.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at the two but simply said,"I got a Green Day CD, what about you guys?"

"Oh, um we didn't buy anything," Calum shrugged and saw Luke's expression so he placed his hand on Ashton's waist. However, he giggled and so Calum frantically moved his arm around his shoulder instead. 

Luke looked at them suspiciously but shrugged it off and told them,"Alright, well Michael and I decided that, so we know you two are hanging out, you need to have a date every week. Since you're dating for a month, that means four dates and your first is Friday."

"How do you know if we're on a date or not? Are you chaperoning or something?" Ashton asked in confusion, the three boys heading towards the food court.

"No, it wouldn't be a date if me or Michael were with you. So, you'll just need to send photos every half an hour and the date needs to be at least two hours long," Luke shrugged. The two boys groaned but nodded and they headed towards McDonald's and waited in line. "Oh, hey, did you hear that some guys knocked over a bracelet stand then ran off? What a couple of losers."

Ashton and Calum looked at each other quickly then held back a small snicker each. They said nothing and while they waited, Calum had this weird feeling in his stomach. Like he was accepting Ashton and that was a problem. He was staring to not care if they hung out. It wasn't going to end well if he was starting to finally like Ashton. 

He knew it wasn't a crush, at least not yet, but it was definitely a friendly feeling that he has around Luke. As if he enjoyed hanging out with Ashton, despite him being a complete nerd and he needed to push those away before he started to fall for Ashton. It wasn't right, they hated each other and that's how it should be.


	6. Chapter 6

Since that day at the mall, Calum was feeling very self conscious about whatever he did, thought or said. He kept making sure not to smile or enjoy being with Ashton. When they held hands, he would keep their fingers loosely entwined and never touched Ashton when not necessary.

It seemed drastic, but he couldn't handle it. It was nerve-wracking, being around the dorky glasses-wearing boy who smelled of vanilla strangely. The worst part is Calum really likes the smell of vanilla. He loved how sweet and delicate it smelled and it was very alluring.

He figured Luke made Ashton wear a perfume or cologne with the scent to make him wanna be around Ashton. To bad it wasn't working, because Calum didn't really care. Sure, he loved that Ashton smelled amazing, but he wasn't gonna start falling in love with him because of it.

It was now Thursday and their date was tomorrow. He would like to put air quotes around the words but knew it was suppose to actually be a real date. Because they're actually suppose to fall for each other. However, he didn't think it felt like a real date considering he doesn't even want to go.

He didn't know where they were going or what they were going to do. He was worried it would be boring and annoying considering that's what Ashton is. Luke said he should plan the date, take charge in the 'relationship' but Calum doesn't know what Ashton even likes to do.

Oh god, he's caring about his opinion! Calum groaned and mentally face-palmed while walking into the school. Suddenly he smirked, realizing he should make the date terrible on purpose. Then maybe Ashton would hate him more and they would win the whole bet.

Suddenly his phone beeped and Calum saw Luke texting him saying to wait at Ashton's locker. A look of fear crossed his face, wondering how Luke knew he was at school already. He didn't pick up Luke or Michael today, Michael was sick and Luke had to come to school early to make up a test.

His phone beeped again and Calum grimaced.

[From: Luke-ass (Lucas) my main bitch ]

Stop wondering how I know you're at school and wait for your boyfriend at his fucking locker! Loveee yaaa baby <3 :p

[From: Luke-ass (Lucas) my main bitch ]

Hate you too <3 ;)

He sighed and pocketed his phone while going over to Ashton's locker. He only remembered where it was because he's been having to go to the locker ever since they started 'dating' which has been almost a week now. It seemed like time was flying by and he couldn't want till the bet ended.

Calum leaned against Ashton's locker, taking out his water bottle he had to give Ashton that had a packet of crystal light lemonade in it. Luke suggested he brought Ashton that since he loves lemonade and Calum may have spit in it cause he's so mature. He couldn't wait till Ashton drank it.

It was so stupid and overdone but he was getting annoyed with Ashton. He didn't know why but even after they bonded, he was scared of getting close. Even as friends, he didn't want to risk anything. Not that he's worried he'll fall for him. That will never happen. Ashton's a loser who spends his time reading and working constantly while spending way too much time with Michael.

He didn't understand why the two were so close, but it was getting on his nerves. He just wanted to push Ashton off his stupid yellow bike and shove him into a locker while kissi-Calum's eyes widened, clearing his throat when seeing Ashton walking into the school.

It was like everything was in slow motion, Calum nearly dropping the water bottle when noticing this was not Ashton at all. No, this couldn't be him. Ashton doesn't wear loose tank tops and he doesn't have biceps. What the fuck. He was wearing tight jeans and not having glasses on? Why the fuck is this?

But when Ashton looked up, Calum knew it was him. Ashton yawned, walking over and slowed down when seeing Calum at his locker. Calum hesitated and went to speak but Ashton beat him to it and said with a grumble,"Morning. Why are you at my locker?"

"I'm just being a good boyfriend and brought you some lemonade. I know it's your favorite," Calum said sweetly, a little too sweetly. He handed Ashton the lemonade, who took it. Calum hid a smirk, but when Ashton put his bookbag in his locker, he eyed the boy slightly.

There's no way in hell this is Ashton. Ashton wears stupid shirts, looser jeans and jackets all the time. He wears glasses and always has slightly messier hair. Why is he dressed like this? He can't be hot, he needs to be nerdy and ugly. Not that Calum thinks he looks hot or anything.

He asked without thinking,"New look?"

"Yeah, Michael said I should try something new and made me change into these clothes this morning," Ashton shrugged, getting his books as the warning bell rang. He rubbed his eyes sleepily, checking his boring and cheap phone to see what time it was.

Calum scoffed in annoyance,"You stayed the night at his place again? Why? He's sick. You can get sick! That's gross, I thought you hated germs."

"Why do you keep asking this? I went to his house cause I can. You're not my dad, calm yourself and why do you care so much if I get sick?" Ashton grumbled and raised an eyebrow slightly.

At first Calum went to answer but was stuck. So he pressed his lips in a straight line before exclaiming,"Well, I'm your boyfriend so if he gets you sick then like, I could get sick too. And you're always at his place. I don't spend the night at Luke's everyday, I don't think that's normal."

Before anyone could say more, Calum's phone beeped and he groaned when seeing Luke texted to walk him to class. Calum reluctantly snatched Ashton's hand a little too tightly and Ashton winced, glaring at him. Calum loosened his hand and walked Ashton to class more roughly than necessary.

He didn't know why he keeps getting so upset over this Michael thing. He knows Michael is straight, not that it mattered or anything. Cause, Ashton can date whoever he wants. Well, he can after their bet is over. Or else someone might figure it out and it wouldn't be as realistic, thus they would lose.

When he got to Ashton's class, like usual, he leaned down a bit and kissed Ashton's cheek sweetly. The kiss lingered, to annoy Ashton, who was blushing and wow he's a good actor. Calum waved goodbye, noticing Ashton rolling his eyes and walking into class.

Rude much? Calum thought to himself as he went to his own class. He went to history class, where Zack was joking around with some guys from the team. Instead of doing his work in class, Calum stared at him with this adoring expression and blushed whenever Zack caught him staring.

All he received was a wink and it made his stomach fill with butterflies. He tried not to think about it too much and had to partner with some girl for a worksheet. She kept flirting and it was hard to do, but he rejected her saying he had a boyfriend. The rejecting part wasn't hard, more like the having to admit to dating Ashton was.

He didn't like people thinking he stooped so low that he would date some loser like Ashton. He doesn't insult people, but when it comes to Ashton he couldn't help but want to hate him. His stupid grin and dumb dimples. Those bright hazel eyes and that giggle that made him smirk when they were at the mall.

The day went by quickly and in lunch, Luke sat with some girl and Ashton had to stay back and do an extra credit assignment so Calum sat with the team and joked with Zack. Sometimes he would embarrass himself but thankfully, today he was laid back and able to act chill.

Sadly, he remembered he had to be with Ashton so he couldn't flirt all too much. At least not obviously. He would just compliment him or joke about how anal is really fun and not to knock it till you try it. Unlike most guys, the team would actually laugh and not in a rude way. They were very accepting, well most were.

Of course every team has a few players who don't accept it. But they weren't jerks about it. They just didn't do anything and would talk about something else while the others laugh at Calum's gay jokes. The actually funny ones, not the cruel type where it's against gays. Considering he's open with himself, he wouldn't say those.

When it came to English class, Calum saw Ashton sitting in the back and wearing his glasses for the first time all day. He was thankful for that. Not because glasses are attractive and hot, but because that meant Ashton didn't like his new look and wouldn't be wearing it.

He went to his usual seat, lazily opening his binder and doing the warm up. He actually needed to get into a good university so doing his work was necessary to pass his classes. He rested in his chin in the palm of his hand and scrawled out his name messily after finishing his warm up.

It wasn't long till the teacher asked for them to partner up and answer the questions on the worksheet they were given for the book they're reading. He glanced around the room, getting up and going to work with a girl that was sat in the corner. That was until a hand grabbed his arm.

He turned and saw one of Luke's friends, Aleisha, say in a whisper,"Luke told me to make sure you work with Ashton."

"And why should I do that?" Calum asked with a scoff.

She pleaded,"C'mon, he told me about the bet. Please, just do it! He promised to buy me the new Fall Out Boy CD if I get you two to work together."

Calum saw her pleading expression and reluctantly nodded. So, she grinned and headed over to work with some guy. Calum unwillingly walked to where Ashton was sat alone and already halfway done with the worksheet. Calum snatched up a chair and sat close to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulder so Aleisha could take a picture.

Ashton looked up at him in disgust and roughly shoved his arm off,"Ew, what are you doing here? You smell like sweat."

"Thanks," Calum grinned. He grabbed Ashton's hand and said with a forced smile,"C'mon babe, don't be like that. Now, let's get this worksheet done. I think, I should finish the top and you should do the bottom. Since you're a bottom, you know? It just fits so well."

An embarrassed expression formed on Ashton's face and he whispered hastily,"Calum, shut up. I already finished the top, that's not fair."

A careless look was all he received,"Too bad. Don't make me tickle you!"

Ashton frantically grabbed his paper and started answering all the questions.Calum looked amused as he watched Ashton write down the answers neatly, obviously hating being tickled. He leaned his chin on Ashton's shoulder, trying to look couply and the teacher didn't seem to care.

At least Calum knew how to get Ashton to do whatever he wanted. It was going to be fun, now that he thought about it. Having Ashton do all his work willingly as long as he threatened to tickle him. Maybe then next few weeks won't be as bad as he thought they would.

It didn't take Ashton long to finish and he handed Calum the paper so he could copy it down. Ashton grabbed his book and started reading as Calum wrote the answers. He spared a few glances, noticing Ashton also had his green jacket on and was intently reading his book.

Once Calum was finished, he leaned back and stretched over the chair to crack his back. Ashton grimaced at the sound, shivering a bit in disgust. Calum chuckled at his reaction and was soon bored since everyone was else was still working considering they talked ninety percent of the time.

He asked randomly,"So, where are we going on our date?"

"What date?" Ashton blinked as he turned the page.

Calum looked at him in disbelief,"Dude, we have a date tomorrow. Luke said we have one every Friday. You were with us at the mall, idiot."

Ashton frowned,"Sorry, bad memory. No need to get all antsy about it. I don't care where we go. As long as it's fun and not boring. You're paying right? I mean, Luke insisted you were the one paying so, like. And besides, I'm low on money and you always seem to have some despite not working. I'm starting to think you deal drugs or sell your body."

"My mum gives me an allowance. Anyways, I think we should go to the movies," Calum shrugged. The movies meant they wouldn't have to actually talk and he couldn't focus on the movie and not that he was on a date with someone he hates more than anyone in the world.

Sadly Ashton put the book down after placing a bookmark in and explained,"Michael said we can't go to the movies. The date needs to be two hours long and he said we actually need to try to get to know each other. Besides, that's boring. We should go to the art museum."

A look of boredom was on Calum's face,"Definitely not."

Ashton pouted and pleaded,"C'mon! It's fun, I promise. We can go on one of those tour things and get ice cream after or something."

"No way, I'm not going to the art museum. That's so boring!" Calum huffed as he crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes at Ashton who glared. "There's a soccer game this weekend. I think we should go there then. I'll pay and it's a couple hours long, so it'll tickle Luke's pickle."

"What." Ashton dead-panned at his word choice. "Ew, that's gross. Why even says that?"

"I do! His pickle needs to be tickled so let's go to the soccer game," Calum suggested in annoyance. He just wants the date over with and they haven't even gone on it yet.

Ashton shook his head,"Nope. I hate soccer."

"I don't care. We're going and you're going to at least act like you're having fun!" Calum said triumphantly. When Ashton went to argue, Calum quickly wrapped his arm around Ashton's waist, fingers pressed to his ticklish spot and Ashton bursted out laughing as Calum smirked, tickling him,"Say yes or I won't stop!"

He squirmed, cheeks red as people turned to him and quickly said in between giggles,"O-Okay, I'll go! Calum, s-stop! I said o-okay! Let me go!"

Calum was pleased and stopped, causing Ashton to pant slightly as he became breathless. People were still staring and he groaned, burying his face in his arms while trying to catch his breath still. Calum just chuckled and shook his head in amusement while checking on his phone to make sure the game was still set for tomorrow.

For the rest of class, Calum and Ashton barely spoke. Ashton kept reading and ignoring Calum. Not that he cared, because Calum just doodled in his notebook and he smirked when seeing Ashton take a sip of his lemonade that was seventy percent gone. 

When Ashton looked at him in confusion after wiping his mouth, Calum just grinned and went back to drawing. He chuckled silently while sketching his teacher being pushed off a cliff and Ashton snorted while watching. He went back to reading more and Calum hid his laughter still because Ashton may be smart but he was an idiot for taking a drink from Calum.

-

After school, Calum and Ashton discussed the plans for the date. It ended with Ashton being texted from Luke to hug Calum. At first Calum tried running away, but Ashton quickly wrapped his arms around Calum who grimaced but forced a smile as people passed and hugged him back awkward.

Then Ashton insisted that he had Michael drive him to a cafe because he has work, saying they should eat before the game. Calum didn't understand why Ashton wouldn't let him pick him up, but didn't question it since that meant less time with him which he was happy about.

But still, it was weird. He watched as Ashton hopped on his bike and pedal off. It was like Ashton was some mystery, always disappearing, staying at Michael's and never letting people over at his house. Calum's never seen his place before, but Michael said he had a home.

If he had a home then why is he never there? It was making Calum suspicious. Almost like he cared about Ashton and wanted to know what was wrong with his life. Why he had to work so much, why his family is never talked about and why he's constantly staying the night at Michael's place.

He sighed and went to the locker room like usual, changing into his practice clothes. He went outside and noticed Luke chatting with the guys and kicking the ball back and forth lazily while wating for coach. Calum ran over, hopping on Luke's back who stumbled forward and luckily caught himself before falling.

Luke glared at Calum who grinned innocently,"Hey babe, what's up?"

"The only person you can call babe is Ashton," Luke huffed and roughly dropped Calum on his bum. He picked up a ball and kicked it over to Calum when he stood up. "Speaking of, have you decided where you're taking him on the date? It's tomorrow and you need to plan it like a real date."

"We're going to a soccer game," Calum shrugged. "And I call him lollipop, not babe. Cause he's gay and lollipops are -- yeahhhh."

"Seriously?" Luke blinked, not fazed by the innuendo. "You gotta treat this like a real date, man. I told you! That's not first date material. You're suppose to make a good impression. And being stuffed in the bleachers while chugging down five dollar hot dogs and watching sweaty men chase a ball is not a good impression."

Calum offered hopefully,"We're getting food before the date too?"

Luke groaned,"He doesn't even like soccer! This is suppose to be taken seriously. Act like you're actually dating him. Would you want someone you like to be stuck doing something they hate? He likes um, reading! School, art, music -- there are a million other things you can do for a date."

At first Calum just wanted to smack Luke. He was getting sick of this bet. It's like someone constantly telling you how to date a person. However, he knew Luke was right. It wasn't a fair set up for the bet. Obviously Ashton wouldnt like Calum if he forced him to watch hours of a sport he didn't care about.

But then again, he doesn't want to be forced to go on a date with Ashton doing something he hates. So either way, one would be stuck doing something they don't enjoy. Which is why there's no way they can fall for each other. They're too different and opposites do attract, however they're complete opposites.

He told Luke with a wave of a hand,"Well, I don't really care so whatever."

Luke glared at him, but before he could say anything coach was calling for them to do three laps around the track. Calum smirked and tossed Luke the ball then sprinted to the track. He knew Luke was right but he didn't want to admit it. He never likes being told what to do.

So what if he needs to go on a date with Ashton? He can deal with that. But when it comes to where they're going and what they're doing, Calum doesn't appreciate being forced into a stupid art museum or a dumb play that Ashton would have made him watch.

He was still curious about the whole 'Michael's driving me' thing. Why was Michael driving him to the cafe? Surely his house can't be that embarrassing. Or at least, he was hoping not. Ashton shouldn't be ashamed of his home life. But maybe there's more to it.

Calum mentally face-palmed. He needs to stop caring, to ignore the mystery that is Ashton Irwin. Once the bet is over, he won't care anymore. But until then, he needs to make sure the date is the worst experience ever. He needs to make sure Ashton has the worst time of his life and Calum smirked as ideas formed in his head. There's no way Ashton will fall for him now.

But maybe Ashton's not the person he should be worried about.

**Author's Note:**

> Twitter: Larry_Lashton1  
> IG: Larry_Lashton  
> Wattpad: Larry_Lashton  
> Tumblr: BottomAshtonLibrary/BottomMikeyLibrary/BottomDanLibary
> 
> ♥


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